Is S.A. a cool city after all?

Every now and then you’ll see a bumper sticker that says “Keep San Antonio Lame.” And more often than not you’ll hear people say, “Oh, I wish I lived in Austin, it’s such a hotspot for young people.”

But San Antonio isn’t as fuddy-duddy as you might think. Next Generation Consulting Thursday announced its “Next Cities” rankings — the best places to live and work for young professionals.

NGC analyzed 45 characteristics for all U.S. cities with more 100,000 people. And in the category for large cities over 500,000 people, San Antonio made the top 20, at No. 17.

Some of the categories include Earning, Learning, Vitality, Around Town, After Hours, Cost of Lifestyle, and Social Capital.

San Antonio finished just ahead of L.A., San Diego and Houston. Austin, of course, finished No. 6. You have to wonder about the validity, though. Lubbock cracked the top 20 for midsized cities.

“Simply being the cheapest place to live, or the city with the most jobs is not a long-term workforce strategy,” NGCs founder, Rebecca Ryan, said in a release. “The next generation is very savvy about choosing where they’ll live.”